Sanitary napkin and suspensory device therefor



Oct. 23, 1962 R. ATKINSON SANITARY NAPKIN AND SUSPENSORY DEVICE THEREFORFiled Oct. 7, 1958 INVENTOR 254.0% A ,47'A7/VJO/V BY%4 M.

ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofihce 3,059,644 Patented Oct. 23, 1962 I3,659,644 SANITARY NAPKHN AND SUSPENSORY DEVICE THEREFOR Ralph L.Atkinson, Westfield, N.J., assignor to Personal Products Corporation, acorporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 7, 1953, Ser. No. 765,767 6 Claims.(Cl. 128290) This invention relates to catamenial devices and moreparticularly to sanitary napkins and to suspensory devices for holdingthe napkins in position on the body of the wearer.

A conventional sanitary napkin is generally relatively thick, bulky andelongated and usually has a rectangular shaped core of absorbentmaterial enclosed within an outer wrapper of liquid pervious material,the ends of which extend beyond the ends of the core for attaching thenapkin in position. This form of napkin is customarily maintained inposition in a two-point suspension by attaching the extending ends ofthe outer wrapper to a supporting belt or to the undergarments. In use,a sanitary napkin is subjected to squeezing and compressive forces whichtend to deform and distort it. Distortion resulting from these forcescauses the napkins to assume an inverted U shape. Deformation anddistortion is undesirable because it decreases the amount of menstrualfluid which can be absorbed and retained by the napkin. Further, ittends to cause menstrual fluid to penetrate through the napkin and alsoto flow over the top of the napkin, down the sides and beyond the sideedges.

To minimize deformation and distortion and to overcome the resultanteffects, conventional napkins have customarily been made relativelythick and bulky to impart resistance to such deformation. Such attemptshave included the provision of napkins made from a plurality of plies ofabsorbent and nonabsorbent materials and reinforcing layers arranged invarious laminar relationships to impart form and structural stability tothe napkin so that it will resist deformation and be effective in use.In view of their disposable nature, napkins containing a variety ofcomponents are uneconomical to some women who must therefore rely uponmakeshift devices.

It is apparent that an inexpensive napkin can be obtained by using lesscomponents and less expensive ma terials than are used in conventionalnapkins. It is also apparent that a napkin which may be made relativelythin would be economical, more comfortable to wear and would be lessconspicuous because it would conform more readily to body contours.However, a napkin containing a minimum of components, as contrasted to aconventional napkin, usually collapses readily in use, especiallytransversely. Such a napkin readily tends to crease in a lengthwisedirection with the result that the napkin is not maintained in intimatecontact with the publc area of the body. As a consequence, menstrualfluid bypasses the napkin beyond its side edges resulting in napkinfailure. In addition, fluid will often strike through the napkinquickly.

It is an object of this invention to provide an economical, effectivesanitary napkin which has good absorbent capacity.

It is another object of this invention to provide an inexpensivesanitary napkin which contains few components.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a sanitarynapkin which can be maintained in a flat, conforming position on thebody of the wearer so that its absorbing effectiveness will be fullyutilized.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a flat sanitarynapkin which is constructed to fit in intimate contact with the body ofthe wearer in a threepoint suspension whereby leakage over the sideedges thereof is minimized.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a sanitarynapkin and a suspensory device for holding the napkin in position on thebody of the wearer.

Other and further objects will become apparent from a consideration ofthe attached drawings and the following specification.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of theinvention is illustrated;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the napkin and a sus pensory device forattaching the napkin in position on the body of the wearer illustratingthe flat position assumed by the napkin;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the napkin and a portion of the suspensorydevice illustrating the manner in which the device and napkin may beassociated with each other;

FIG. 3 is a view of the opposite side of FIG. 2;

'FIG. 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of FIG. 3 taken alonglines 4--4.

A napkin 10 incorporating the invention is of a generally wide,elongated, oblong shape being preferably somewhat wider at the frontportion 12 than at the rear 14. In the form illustrated in the drawings,the napkin is in the form of a trapezoid with the base of the trapezoidconstituting the front 12 of the napkin. A napkin of this form may be inoverall dimensions about 6 /2 inches long, 3% inches wide at the front12 tapering to 2%. inches in width at the rear 14. A suitable napkin inthe shape of a rectangle may be about 6 /2 inches long and 2 incheswide. A napkin of these dimensions fits comfortablyin position on thewearer and is sufficiently large to cover the portions of the bodyagainst which the napkin is placed 1n use.

The elements of the napkin include a liquid repellent backing sheet 16,an absorbent core 18, and a liquid pervious cover 20. The backing sheetand the cover are substantially coextensive and extend beyond theperipheral edges of the core to form marginal portions 22 around thecore which are joined to integrate the respective elements.

The liquid repellent backing sheet is preferably a thin sheet ofthermoplastic material, e.g., polyethylene or vinyl film 2. mils thick.The repellent backing sheet provides a barrier on the bottom of thenapkin to the passage of fluid to prevent strike through of menstrualfluid. Other suitable repellent backing sheets include paper impregnatedwith a thermoplastic or thermosetting material, and papers or fiberscoated with a liquid repellent material. The repellent backing sheetalso contributes to the structural stability of the napkin as will beexplained further below.

The absorbent core 18 of the napkin may be a pad or hat of absorbentfibers, such as a bat of comminuted wood pulp fibers, cotton fibers, orother suitable absorbent material positioned on top of the repellentbacking sheet and having generally the configuration of the backingsheet but being somewhat smaller in overall dimensions. Preferably, theabsorbent core is made of such size that the repellent backing sheetextends beyond the periphery .of the absorbent core to form a marginalarea around the core, which in the case of the trapezoidal form ofnapkin described above is about 1% inches wide in the front of thenapkin and about inch wide at the sides and rear. An absorbent core ofabout grains of commin-uted wood pulp fibers equally distributed to athickness of about inch on the surface of the backing sheet issatisfactory. The amounts of absorbent material used are desirablyconsistent with the purposes for which the napkin is intended.

The cover of the napkin may be any suitable liquid permeable material,including a non-woven fabric, or a woven fabric such as gauze, havingadequate tear and abrasion resistance to withstand the conditionsnormally imposed during use. The cover is preferably coextensive withthe repellent backing sheet, and also has marginal portions extendingbeyond the periphery of the absorbent core.

To retain the absorbent core component of the napkin in position and tointegrate the various elements of the napkin, the repellent backingsheet and the cover are joined to each other at their respectivecontiguous marginal portions 22 extending beyond and around theperiphery of the absorbent core. Thermoplastic films, such aspolyethylene and vinyl films are particularly suitable as a repellentbacking sheet and may be easily bonded to the cover by application ofheat and pressure to the marginal portions. Other suitable materials maybe satisfactorily employed for the different napkin elements and forjoining the marginal portions of the cover and backing material, as byadhesive means, by the use of thermoplastic materials in the backingmember or cover, and by other well known methods. In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 4, the backing sheet and the cover each extendpartially around the sides of the core and are joined at the approximatemid-point of the edges. if desired, the backing sheet may be maintainedflat and the cover extended down the sides of the core to the backingsheet to provide a relatively fiat bottomed napkin. The resultantstructure comprises a liquid repellent backing sheet, a confinedabsorbent core of somewhat smaller size, and a cover over the corehaving dimensions substantially those of the backing member, the backingsheet and cover being joined at their contiguous marginal portions.

The napkin, as described above, is effective, inexpenswe and simple touse. It may be satisfactory used in such form and particularly in theelongated rectangular form, by placing it into a sanitary panty, byattaching 1t to the underclothing with pins, or by attaching it to asanitary napkin belt. The front and rear marginal portions of thebacking sheet and cover may be made sufiic ently long to provide tabsfor pinning the napkin in posit on, or by providing such front and rearmarginal pornons with holes for attaching the napkin to a supportingdevice, such as a sanitary napkin belt.

Due to its structure and configuration however, the napkin of theinvention performs more satisfactorily when it is maintained in positionon the body of the wearer in such a manner as to retain it insubstantially a fiat shape. To this end, the napkin may be formed withmeans for suspending it at two points in the front portion and by onepoint at the rear portion. The front corners 24, 24 of the marginalportion of the napkin may be folded back to form a double thickness andeach provided with a small spaced hole or slit 26, 26', respectively,which extends through the cover and the liquid repellent backing member.A similar slit 28 is pro vided at the rear marginal portion of thenapkin at the approximate midpoint thereof. The napkin may be supportedin a flat position on the body of the wearer by threading a suspensorydevice through the respective slits provided in the front and rearportions of the napkin in any suitable manner or by attaching the napkinto a device by means of the slits provided. One form of suitablesuspensory device 30 includes a flat tape or ribbon of fabric formed intwo parts. One part 32 is doubled upon itself to form a half loop 34 andone end 36 of the looped ribbon passed from the bottom of the napkinthrough slit 26 in the front of the napkin and the other end 38 passedthrough the other slit 26' with the looped portion 34 of the ribbonpositioned approximately at the center of the napkin and at theunderside thereof. A second ribbon 40 is then doubled upon the loopedportion 34 of the first ribbon 32 at the approximate midpoint of theunderside of the napkin and the free extending [5. ends 42 thereofpassed together through the rear slit 28 and beyond.

To complete attachment of the napkin in position on the body of thewearer, the ends 36 and 38 of ribbon 32 extending through the slits inthe front of the napkin are attached to a waist encircling band 44 inspaced relationship and the ends 42 of the rear strap 40 are attachedtogether to the rear of the waist encircling band. The napkin will thenbe maintained in a relatively fiat position by a three-point suspensionwith the suspensory device in the form of the respective ribbonsunderlying the bottom of the napkin to hold it in a hammock like fashionand extending through the respective slits. The above described means ofsuspending the napkin provides a Y or yoke-shaped support on the bottomof the napkin. It is contemplated, however, that other means ofsuspension may be used. For example, instead of the Y shaped suspensiondescribed above and illustrated in the drawings, one piece of ribbon maybe passed through one front slit and thence through the rear slit andanother ribbon passed through the other front slit and also through therear slit to form a V shape. The extending ends of the ribbon may thenbe attached to 21 waist encircling band in the manner described above.

It is to be understood that other suspensory devices or arrangementsthereof for supporting the napkin in threepoint suspension may be usedsatisfactorily and that the foregoing embodiments of the invention maybe varied and modified-without departing from its spirit and scope.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination comprising a catamenial napkin having an elongatedcore of absorbent material, a liquid repellent backing member underlyingsaid core, a liquid pervious cover overlying said core, the marginaledges of said backing member and said cover extending beyond theperiphery of said core to form marginal portions around said core, saidmarginal portions of said backing member and said cover being attachedto confine said core, spaced connecting means on the front portion andconnecting means on the rear portion of said napkin, and a suspensorydevice including straps underlying said napkin and connected to saidconnecting means suspending said napkin in a three-point suspension onthe body of the wearer.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the napkin is generallytrapezoidally shaped.

3. The combination comprising a catamenial napkin having an elongatedcore of absorbent material, a liquid repellent backing member underlyingsaid core, a liquid pervious cover overlying said core, the marginaledges of said backing member and said cover extending beyond theperiphery of said core to form marginal portions around said core, saidmarginal portions of said backing member and said cover being attachedto confine said core, spaced openings in the front corners and in therear of said napkin, and a suspensory device including straps underlyingsaid napkin and threaded through said openings suspending said napkin ina three-point suspension on the body of the wearer.

4. The combination comprising a catamenial napkin having an elongatedcore of absorbent material, a liquid repellent backing member underlyingsaid core, a liquid pervious cover overlying said core, the marginaledges of said backing member and said cover extending beyond theperiphery of said core to form marginal portions around said core, saidmarginal portions of said backing member and said cover being attachedto confine said core, spaced openings in the front marginal portion anda centrally positioned opening in the rear marginal portion of saidnapkin, and a suspensory device including a pair of straps underlyingsaid napkin and threaded through said openings suspending said napkin ina threepoint suspension on the body of the wearer.

5. The combination comprising a catamenial napkin having an elongatedcore of absorbent material, a liquid repellent backing member underlyingsaid core, a liquid pervious cover overlying said core, the marginaledges of said backing member and said cover extending beyond theperiphery of said core to form marginal portions around said core, saidmarginal portions of said backing member and said cover being attachedto confine said core, spaced openings in the front marginal portion anda centrally positioned opening in the rear marginal por tion of saidnapkin, and a suspensory device including a pair of looped,interconnected straps underlying said napkin, one end of one of saidstraps extending through one of said openings in said front marginalportion, the other end extending through the other said opening in saidfront marginal portion, the ends of said other strap extending throughthe opening in said rear marginal por tion, said ends being attachablefor suspending said napkin in a three-point suspension on the body ofthe wearer.

6. The combination comprising a catamenial napkin having an elongatedcore of absorbent material, a liquid repellent backing member underlyingsaid core, a liquid pervious cover overlying said core, the marginaledges of said backing member and said cover extending beyond theperiphery of said core to form marginal portions around said core, saidmarginal portions of said backing member and said cover being attachedto confine said core, spaced openings in the front marginal portion anda centrally positioned opening in the rear marginal portion of saidnapkin, and a suspensory device including a pair of straps underlyingsaid napkin, each of said straps being threaded through one of saidopenings in said front marginal portion and through said opening in saidrear marginal portion, the ends of said straps being attachable forsuspending said napkin in a three-point suspension on the body of thewearer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,772,019 Speight Aug. 5, 1930 2,682,873 Evans et a1 July 6, 19542,783,474 Campagna et al Mar. 5, 1957 2,928,394 Roberts Mar. 15, 1960FOREIGN PATENTS 352,805 Great Britain July 31, 1931 635,133 GermanySept. 10, 1936

